VeR. 13.] SEKMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. 175
of horror and sad despair. It is the greatest evil that can befall j'ou, to lose all your hopes in an instant. Well, then, this looking for the blessed hope is not a slender imagination, an unadvised rash confidence, such as is lost whenever we begin to be serious, either by the conviction of the word or the approaches of death.
(2.) It is not some glances upon heaven, such as are found in worldly and sensual persons. Sometimes worldly men have their lucida inter- valla, their good moods, and now and then have some sober thoughts of heaven that rush into their mind. Balaam had his wishes : Num. xxiii. 10, ' Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his.' And the apostle speaks of some that had a taste, Heb. vi. 4, snatch now and then some savour of the sweetness of heaven and spiritual comforts. A wretched worldling, in whose fancy the world plays all the day, risetli with him, goeth to bed with him, yet now and tlien hath his wishes, and some sudden raptures of soul, some flashes and motions ; but alas ! this is not the looking for the blessed hope, for that is a constant viewing of happiness to come. Sudden motions are not operative ; they come but now and then, and leave no warmth upon the soul, as fruit is not ripened that hath but a glance of the sun ; and you know a sudden light rather blinds a man than shows him his way ; so these sudden flashes, enlightenings, and heavenly thoughts vanish, and leave a man never the better.
(3.) It is not a loose hope, a possible salvation, that can have such an efficacy upon the soul to urge and incline it to the spiritual life : James i. 8, * A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.' When a man is double-minded, divided and distracted between hopes and fears, there will be much irregularity and unevenness in his conversation ; he will be off and on with God. As their hearts are up and down and divided, because the success is doubtful, so also is their care of strict- ness weakened and broken : 1 Cor. ix. 26, 'I therefore so run, not as uncertainly ; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air.' He alludes to the Isthmian games. In an ordinary race a man might run and be out- stripped ; the event was very uncertain, he might miss of the goal ; if the other sensibly got ground, then he was discouraged, and began to slack his pace out of hope ; but, saith the apostle, ' I run not as one that is uncertain.' Here we are all sure to obtain, though we cannot keep pace with the foremost ; and this is that which quickens industry, and stirs up those holy endeavours. The surer your hope is, tho greater strength you find, and the greater power upon your conversa- tion. Thus it is not a blind hope, or some glances upon heaven and the blessed things to come, that rush into the mind of a cursed world- ling, nor a loose hope and bare conjecture ; a possible salvation hath not such efficacy and power upon the soul.
[2.] Positively, what this expectation is of blessedness to come. It is an earnest and lively hope, a solid expectation of blessedness to come ; and it_ bewrays itself by three things— serious thoughts, earnest groans, and lively tastes.
(1.) By frequent and serious thoughts. Thoughts are the spies and messengers of hope sent into the promised land to bring the soul tidings of what is to come. It is impossible for a man to hope for any- thing, but his mind will run upon it, and he will be thinking of it. We
176 SERMONS UPON TITUS 11. 11-14. [SeR. XII.
find it in all earthly matters, that hope sets the mind on work ; and so we preoccupy and forestall the contentments that we expect; we enjoy them before they come by serious contemplation, feasting the soul with images and suppositions of the happiness we shall have when we come to fruition. Contemplation of heaven is the feast of the soul. Hope brino-s in the image and suppositions of what is to come as if it were already present. Certainly wherever the treasure is, the heart, the thouflits will be there. Hope carries the mind above the clouds, in the midst of the glory of the world to come, as if we did see Christ upon his white throne, and Paul with his crown of righteousness, and all the faithful ones in Abraham's bosom. If a beggar were adopted into the succession of a crown, would he not please himself in forethinking of the happiness, honour, and pleasure of the kingly state ? So we vile creatures, that are adopted to be co-heirs with Christ, if we did hope to be heirs of the kingdom of heaven, heaven would have more of our thoughts, and take up more of the musings of our souls. AVe should still observe what we muse upon most. Carnal thoughts, and carnal projects discover a carnal heart ; when we are always thinking of pluck- ing down barns and building greater, advancing our families and pro- viding worldly increase ; when we are talking to ourselves, as Luke xii. 18, 'He thought within himself, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits ? And he said. This will I do, I will jrall down my barns, and build greater,' &c. The word ^LeXoyt^eTo signifies he was framing dialogues with himself of bestowing his goods ; this shows a carnal heart. So James iv. 13, ' To-day or to-morrow we will go into such a cit}^ and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain.' It is usual with men to live upon the reversion of their hopes, and feed themselves with the pleasure thereof. As young heirs spend upon their hopes, and run out their estates ere they possess them, so doth the soul, either in matters carnal or heavenly, still feed upon its hopes. And therefore if there be such an earnest hope, you will be entertaining your spirits with suppositions of heaven, and framing images of the glory of the world to come.